Medical technology in dealing with the intravenous injection of drugs and solutions has undergone rapid and significant changes in recent years. Today an anesthesiologist may desire to administer two or more solutions to a patient during operative and postoperative procedures. These solutions may include not only blood, plasma and saline but any of the drugs needed by the patient.
In order to minimize the shock imposed upon a patient by the repeated insertions of hypodermic needles, to minimize blood loss and to minimize the chances of infection, a multiple-solution intravenous procedure has been developed whereby all fluids are fed to the patient through a single hypodermic needle.
Fluid flow to this needle is controlled by a valve or stopcock. Fluid supplies are connected to the valve's inlets and the valve is operated to feed one of the fluids to the needle. An "off" position may be present in which all valve ports are closed thereby stopping fluid flow to the patient while minimizing blood loss by the patient.
Stopcock valves available in the prior art are usually made of non-toxic nylon or polypropylene and polyethylene plastics. These valves have always been quite small and have required two hands to operate. Additionally, they may hang supported by the fluid tubing.
Some of these valves operated by rotating a cylindrical gating mechanism in which there are passageways for the flow of fluids from inlet to outlet. Some valves were designed to gate three fluids, but often had their inlet ports spaced 60.degree. to 90.degree. apart to allow space for tubing connection apparatus. As a result, passageways in these valves were quite complicated, often creating acute changes in direction of flow of fluid passing through them. Right angle turns and protrusions into the fluid path were common. These prior art valve designs tended to introduce turbulences into the intravenous fluids as the fluids passed through the valve. This ultimately may result in blood damage to the patient.
Additionally, these prior stopcocks have been difficult to operate precisely. Very few of them included any sort of positive retaining mechanism corresponding to a particular valve state. All must be looked at when the valve is operated in order to tell what position the valve is in.
It is desirable to have a valve which is easily operated, which has definite positions, which may be tactilly operated with one hand, and which minimizes turbulence introduced into the intravenous fluid. It is also desirable to have a valve which is more versatile than those currently available.
An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an intravenous fluid valve which minimizes turbulence added to the intravenous fluids passing through it.
Another object of this invention is to provide a valve which may be operated tactilly, with one hand.
A further object of this invention is to provide a valve operation that is easily discernable and which has positive positions.
An additional objective of this invention is to provide a six-way valve which can feed any of three connected fluids solely, or can feed a mixture of any two adjacently connected fluids or can be turned completely off, sealing off the patient's blood system.
A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for sealing inlet ports when they are not in use.